Columbus lauded for aiding reservists

Ryan Clark, The Columbus Dispatch

Saturday

Jun 29, 2013 at 12:01 AMJun 29, 2013 at 12:26 PM

The city of Columbus was recognized this week by the Department of Defense as an employer that goes above and beyond for employees serving as military reservists. Columbus was the only city government to receive the 2013 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

The city of Columbus was recognized this week by the Department of Defense as an employer that goes above and beyond for employees serving as military reservists.

Columbus was the only city government to receive the 2013 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The award is the department’s highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of National Guard and Reserve employees.

Reservists nominated almost 3,000 employers for the award, and 15 received the recognition.

“It’s a huge deal — it isn’t easy to get a big government entity to see and care about the many things that need to be done for military members,” said Rick Isbell, Columbus’ director of veterans affairs.

The city employs about

400 reservists, and about 40 of those are actively serving, Isbell said. City officials work to smooth transitions from civilian employment to military service and back again. “We try to do everything we can so they don’t have to worry about home while they are fighting for our country,” Isbell said.

Maj. Stephen Snyder-Hill, an Army reservist and a Columbus Public Health program director, nominated the city for the award, said Lt. Col. Melissa K. Phillips, a Defense Department spokeswoman.

During his own 408 days of deployment, Snyder-Hill said, the city “went more than above and beyond,” sending football updates and care packages.

Phillips said Columbus shows its support for reservists in a number of ways, including: